Letter 294: Come now, move on and do for the Galatians what you did for the Phrygians.

To Acacius. (361) But come now, change your ground and do for the Galatians what you did for the Phrygians. For the Phrygians you led to every kind of prosperity by your art of shepherding. Being convinced of these things about you, I do not hesitate to proclaim them as well. You, for your part, had been persuaded toward the better course on our behalf, but you kept it hidden in silence. Yet even so I considered you a good man and counted you among my own friends, although you seemed to be ranged among the opposing side; for you were not shooting your arrows. It is consistent, then, with my thinking thus at that time, that I now ask a favor. And I shall ask many favors besides this one, but before all the others this one. There is in Ancyra a man named Maximus, well-born, more well-born than Codrus, they say, gentle, growing rich by just means, not praying to acquire his neighbor's property, but taking forethought how he may receive much from his own; a man dear to Demeter because he attends to farming, and dear to Artemis because of the hunt; for, having laid aside the weapons with which he was once adorned, he rears horses and dogs against the wild beasts. Appearing in the marketplace but rarely, he has grieved no one, and by appearing he went away having gladdened them, with this one charge brought against him, that he hurries off to his fields. This Maximus has been a guest-friend of mine for a long time now, and he has entrusted his sons to me. Of these the elder, having shown great virtue in his youth, makes the friendship binding both upon me and upon his own parents, on account of which they put my affairs before their own, and with me the same holds true. For know well that I regard as more of a benefactor the man who is zealous on their behalf than one who chooses dangers on my behalf. I believe that now, if ever, the man will be held in honor. For I believe that I myself do not stand in low regard with you. For with rulers who are not good, brief is the speech of those who know how to speak, since they would wish their own deeds to be passed over in silence; but you noble men have need of words, and most of all have need, you for whom all time will come to know the fair deeds of your achievements.

Ἀκακίῳ. Ἀκακίῳ. (361) Ἀλλ᾿ ἄγε δή, μετάβηθι καὶ ποίει Γαλάτας, ἃ Φρύγας. Φρύγας δὲ ἄρα πρὸς ἅπασαν εὐδαιμονίαν ἤγαγες τῇ περὶ τὸ ποιμαίνειν τέχνῃ. ταῦτα δὲ ἐγὼ περὶ σοῦ πεπεισμένος καὶ κηρύττειν οὐκ ὀκνῶ. σὺ δὲ τὰ βελτίω μὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐπέ- πεισο, σιγῇ δὲ ἔκρυπτες. ἐγὼ δέ σε καὶ οὕτω χρηστὸν ἡγού- μην καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ φίλων ἠρίθμουν καίτοι δοκοῦντα τετάχθαι μετὰ τῶν ἐναντίων· οὐ γὰρ ἐτόξευες. ἀκόλουθον δὴ τῷ τότε οὕτω φρονεῖν τὸ νῦν χάριν αἰτεῖν. αἰτήσω δὲ πολλὰς μὲν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ, πρὸ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ταύτην. ἔστιν ἐν Ἀγκύρᾳ Μάξιμος, εὐγενής, εὐγενέστερος Κόδρου, φασί, πρᾷος, ἐκ τοῦ δικαίου πλουτῶν, οὐ τὴν τοῦ γείτονος εὐχόμενος προσλαβεῖν, ἀλλ’ ὅπως πολλὰ λήψεται παρὰ τῶν αὑτοῦ προνοῶν, φίλος ἀνὴρ Δήμητρι μὲν διὰ τὸ γεωργίᾳ προσέχειν, Ἀρτέμιδι δὲ διὰ τὴν θήραν· τῶν γὰρ ὅπλων οἷς ποτε ἐκοσμεῖτο ἀφειμένος ἵππους καὶ κύνας ἐπὶ τὰ θηρία τρέφει. φαινόμενος δὲ ἐπ ἀγορᾶς ὀλιγάκις ἐλύπησε μὲν οὐδένα, τῷ φανῆναι δὲ εὐφρά- νας ἀπῆλθεν ἓν τοῦτο ἐγκαλούμενος, ὅτι πρὸς ἀγροὺς ἀπο- τρέχει. οὗτος ὁ Μάξιμος ξένος μοι γίγνεται πάλαι καὶ τοὺς υἱεῖς ἐνεχείρισεν. ὧν ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἀρετὴν ἐν νεότητι δείξας πολλὴν ἐμοί τε καὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ γονεῦσι τὴν φιλίαν ποιεῖ, δι’ ἣν ἐκεῖνοί τε τἀμὰ τῶν αὑτῶν πρότερα ποιοῦνται παρ’ ἐμοί τε ταὐτὸ κρατεῖ. εὖ γὰρ ἴσθι, μᾶλλον εὐεργέτην ἄγω τὸν εἰς τἀκείνων σπουδῇ χρώμενον ἢ ὅστις ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ κινδύνους αἱρεῖται. πιστεύω δὲ νῦν, εἴπερ ποτέ, ἐν τιμῇ τὸν ἄνδρα ἔσεσθαι. πιστεύω γὰρ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐν φαύλῳ παρὰ σοὶ κεῖσθαι. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαθοῖς ἄρχουσι βραχὺς τῶν λέγειν ἐπισταμένων λόγος, βούλοιντο γὰρ ἂν τὰ αὑτῶν σιγᾶ- σθαι, τοῖς δὲ γενναίοις ὑμῖν λόγων δεῖ καὶ μάλιστα δεῖ, οἷς τὰ καλὰ τῶν ἔργων ἅπας ὁ χρόνος εἴσεται.